Kishintale: Sound Souls
by SA-ramblings
Summary: A sound Soul rests in a sound mind and sound body. But what happens if there are two souls in the same, rather destroyed, body? We're an abomination, everyone is against us! Fight back already! But it's not our fault... Soul Eater/Undertale fic-AU crossover. A/N has more deets, as well as triggers/headcanons. Cover by me, also on my Tumblr! Fic-AU name: Kishintale. ETERNAL HAITUS!
1. Chapter 1

((A/N: Ahh, welcome! Pleasure to have you at this time! I'm so surprised at the few crossover fics for this, so I hope to live up to your standards! :D Before we begin, I have a few things I'd like to sort out with you:

 **NO, THIS IS NOT ONE OF "THOSE" FICS WHERE I TOSS CHARACTERS FROM ONE UNIVERSE INTO ANOTHER, OR I REWRITE THE ANIME/GAME WITH UT/SE CHARACTERS. I HAVE MORE CLASS THAN THAT. THIS FIC TAKES PLACE OVER A LONG TIME WITH NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF OTHER AUs.**

...Erhem.

And now, warnings. Please refrain from reading if you are uncomfortable with: blood/gore/body horror, family abuse/neglect, physical violence/torture/suicide, mental instability, swearing, etc. Possible mentions of flashbacks and mature content in the future? I haven't thought that far yet. **CHARACTER DEATH**. Rated T until further notice.

Undertale spoilers in the form of names, appearances, and history. No true Soul Eater spoilers except maybe terms and vague plot references (anime only).

Everything will be explained along the way, so don't worry! I'm the only one that's gonna have to do research lmao

Most, if not all, **ships will be one-sided except Torgore**. And even then, the story won't revolve around ships anyway, I just wanted some more awkward tensions ye... Oh, and **"they/them" protagonist/s**. Pray for them, they're gonna go through so much shit

Main hub for UT-talk: **postpacifist-undertale** on Tumblr! Why don't you go give it a follow? I've got some more cool stuff about my other crossover/AU fics up already! Remember to send reviews my way for more UT content! :D

That should be about it! Let the story begin!))

* * *

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.

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"Mother? I have found another Soul."

"Good. Bring it here."

About a decade has gone by since Chara was brought off the streets of Death City. At least, they thought so- if they remembered correctly, every scratch they made on their bedroom walls meant one day, right? It seemed like a good idea, but now it's just routine to wake up and hear the squeaky sound of their rusty nail scratching a single line down a flat surface.

Even if Mother hated it.

Almost ten years they were away from misery of sleeping wherever seemed hidden enough from the world, away from fighting off animals from their scraps of food, away from the fear of being attacked by freaky monsters-

Well, the monsters were still around, but they didn't seem as threatening now that they had a home to go back to every night.

Opening the door with a rusty creak, Chara quietly stepped through the doorframe -carefully lowering their head a bit so that the low doorway wouldn't hit them- with another child's body in tow.

The child's hair was messy, and It -they refused to see the child as anything else just yet- wore a muddied grey nightgown under an oversized, torn leather jacket. Seems like It was shivering. Chara hadn't gotten the chance to see the child's Soul yet, but It must have been as hardy as they were during their old life.

Their old life without Mother.

They certainly didn't miss it.

But CLEARLY this child hasn't taken a bath in weeks. Mother sighed in exasperation.

"Come, child. Let's clean you up." She beckoned the child with a gentle hand, and It cautiously followed her to the tiny bathroom down the narrow hallway.

Passively, Chara prayed that there would be no rats passing by -like the last time they got bitten by one in an attempt to get some tissues from the storage room for their fever...

.

.

.

Defying orders that Chara was to stay in the kitchen and wash the dishes from dinner, they snuck across the dusty corridor and stuck an ear against the splintered bathroom door. A screechy turn of the shower head then the pitter-pattering of shower water made it difficult to comprehend anything Mother was saying. When soft murmuring and words of comfort leaked through the old wooden door, Chara couldn't help but feel jealous for the child.

After all, It was going to fulfill Mother's goal.

When It first got out of the bathroom with Mother, all clean and dry in one of Chara's outgrown blue dresses, that was the moment that they knew.

When Chara was ordered to sleep on the floor instead of their mattress so that It could sleep more comfortably, they knew.

When It was treated to all the food it could eat at meals, growing satisfied and glowing with health, and Chara was only allowed to take the few scraps of food left on the table when they finished, they knew.

Often finding themselves looking down at their own body, Chara was repeatedly reminded of their "disease". According to Mother, long limbs, fingers, toes, pale skin, and their dangerously slender body size wasn't natural or healthy at all. Apparently 15-year-olds were not supposed to be 6'2". Long, brown hair didn't help with their height, making them seem even taller. Their happy smile practically split their face, and many fangs starting to grow in uninvited a few years ago.

They were often referred by others as freakish, an anomaly of nature, a MONSTER-; they often found Mother whispering sweet nothings to them every time they tell her about the insults, seemingly desperate to get them off of the topic.

Chara knew she was discontent with every one of Chara's flaws, as even through her comforting smile she was still quietly gritting her teeth. Chara wasn't an idiot; they knew.

She wanted a healthier child, and Chara would eventually be sacrificed for the greater good of her plans, whatever it may be.

They've been told this numerous times before. It wasn't a new feeling to feel powerless, hopeless, a lost cause.

Perhaps they've just been grown to become numb to emotions; perhaps those harsh, grating words weren't as bad as they thought.

Either way, their emotions became dulled to the equivalent of a river stone, polished and made clean by the rushing water of insults and condescending words. If no other emotion was to be found on Chara's face, it was jealousy.

For It.

...

Now that they thought of it, they never have seen any more of Mother than her face...

But she certainly was not human.

Her multiple eyes nearly boring holes in the back of Chara's skull when they looked away, the multitude of limbs she carried various objects of importance with, barely needing sleep, unusual intelligence in magic -Chara had snuck out of bed once to find out she was mixing strangely-colored bubbling liquids together, to which they were banned from the basement that day onwards-, pale purplish skin barely peeking through her shawls and hoods...

It was very strange, but Mother couldn't be a bad person, right?

Hell, she took It in and pampered it like royalty! That's not something someone evil would do, right?

 _Right?_

.

.

.

* * *

((Gsv nrmw lu z xsrow rh vvirob gifhgrmt. Sld mlmv lu gsv fmrevihv'h xliifkgrlm hvggovh rm gsvri yizrmh rh gifob gsv vrtsgs dlmwvi lu gsv dliow.))


	2. Chapter 2

((A/N: Thank you for being patient, my beauties! I've been busy... Updating fics with new chapters is a lot of work, especially since my previous WIPs have been wiped from my writing program for some reason. This chapter was originally really good but now it's gone... sigh... This redo feels a bit shorter, hope you don't mind! I want the fun part to prolong just a bit more. X)

But you don't want to hear me complain! Let's keep heading forward!))

* * *

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.

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It's been a few weeks, and Chara was getting impatient.

Not only do they just want to die already, but they wanted to finally see what Mother was planning all this time. They had played around with a few vague ideas in their head, but none of them actually made any sense.

Since all the ideas would require Mother to be evil, and she DEFINITELY wasn't evil.

They thought.

Mother must be starving them for a good reason, otherwise she wouldn't let it happen, right?

The teen tapped their fingers on the table with a free hand, the other hand holding a cup of herbal tea they made on one of their impulse trips again. The tea is probably the most filling thing they've had to ingest in a while, and their stomach seemed practically nonexistent.

That kind of feeling where if you don't eat for a while, at some point it doesn't even hurt anymore.

Satisfying food would still be nice to have, though.

.

.

.

So, it's been a while.

At least two more weeks have gone by after that, and the only one that hasn't gotten any more frailer was the most recent child that found its way in the house. Chara also noticed how It still seemed to cower under their glare.

Good. Not like they could threaten It with strength or anything anymore.

All they had was seniority, and even that was dying down. Chara had the audacity to think that maybe Mother was just starving them, but they shoved that thought out of their mind.

There's no way. They don't believe it.

...

At any rate, the plan is going agonizingly slower than they expected it to be.

They spent a lot of their time sleeping to regain whatever energy they could get, since Mother had completely forgotten -or refused?- to restore any food to the cupboards anymore.

Back to where they were before, but at least there was still shelter from the rain.

Chara's expecting the day when even THAT would be taken away too.

A loud creak of the wooden floors brought the frail teen back to reality as they turned their head to the child with tired, blood-red eyes. It hid behind the edge of a peeling wall at first, then cautiously looked back at Chara when It realized they wouldn't go after It.

"Whaddya want, kid," Chara droned, knowing full-well that It wouldn't respond.

That's another thing: the kid doesn't even like speaking. Seems It can understand things just fine, but talking is forever a no for... whatever reason.

It pointed a small hand down the dark hallway, seemingly referring to the set of stairs at the end. Chara sighed and waved a hand dismissively, looking back to their tea.

"Only Mother is allowed down there. Leave that alone."

Sure enough, the teen looked up and the child was gone, footsteps that sounded like It was going down there anyway. Chara sighed.

.

.

.

Now, it probably would have been in their best interests if they just let the kid go downstairs alone. After all, it was inevitable that It would be punished when caught. But... They were also curious, too, and eventually both children reached the bottom of the spiraling stairs.

It's a door.

Chara remembered seeing it from their first excursion there. Tall, threatening... just like how they remembered it.

There was also an array of puzzle-looking locks that didn't used to be there. They stifled the groan about to escape their throat, as they knew exactly why these were on the door. If there was one thing that could keep Chara out of a locked room, it was puzzles. They were no good at those.

It, on the other hand, seemed curious enough to try one of them.

After a few minutes, lo and behold, one of the locks opened with a satisfying click. The two children turned to each other with grins on their faces as It continued to complete the other two puzzles.

...

 _Click!_

 _..._

 _Click!_

Chara may have hated the kid's guts, but they couldn't hide their admiration of It's puzzle-solving skills.

Opening the door with a grunt of effort, Chara and the child were blasted with a radiating heat. Purplish light filled the tiny room, and the repulsive smell of dried herbs and flesh wafted into their noses.

After a few minutes of carefully stepping around loose paper piles and unidentifiable liquid puddles, the two made their way towards the centerpiece of the room: a large, wooden table with several diagrams and circles engraved into it, covered in foreign stains and torn paper. Chara could recognize some darker brown ones as coffee (and blood?), but there was also a pulsing purple stain glowing obnoxiously in their face.

They decided not to question it and turned away.

It was lucky that both of them were old enough to not put weird things in their mouths, since a lot of the liquids seemed to emit magic in a way; who KNOWS what those'll do.

Chara felt grosser the longer they stayed near the table, opting to drift off closer to the door for a quick escape just in case. It remained near the table, poking at a dead spider with a stray feather.

Whether or not that decision had played a big role in Chara's downfall, they were not sure, but soon after they leaned against a wall of the room, a damp rag dipped in chemicals covered their mouth and nose and everything went black.

* * *

((Mld gsv IVZO ufm yvtrmh!))


	3. Chapter 3

((A/N: Mentions of vomiting, nonconsentual actions, and suicide warning.))

* * *

.

.

.

"Greetings, dearie! Sleep well?"

...

Who was that?

Oh, it was Mother. How could Chara forget?

"Greetings, Mother. Yes, I did, thank you. However, I must ask-"

"Oh no no no, hush now. I've got plans to take care of, and I don't need any distracting questions. Just stay quiet and everything will go smoothly," she replied, shuffling papers and various other glass(?) objects through the dark.

Seems the lights are turned off, or maybe there wasn't any at all? Why would Mother have a room like this? It feels colder, but perhaps it's the atmosphere? Chara had many questions, but they knew better than to ask any of them.

They could feel the body of the other child next to them, struggling to get free of... something.

Feeling around when they thought Mother wasn't looking, Chara managed to stand up, cautiously holding their hands out to use their sense of touch where sight failed. The child's clothes, the tough rope binding It, the splintered chair from where It sat...

The knife's blade on which Chara's blood spilled from their hands.

...

So it seems that was the case.

By then it was pretty obvious what exactly Mother had been planning, but Chara still felt an inkling of denial. After all, there had to be a good reason for this! Mother couldn't have been bad all this time, was she?

A dim lamp turned itself on, giving off an eerie purple light and allowing Chara and the child to take in their surroundings.

When she held that sickening grin on her face and the knife was offered to them expectantly, Chara's suspicions were proven correct.

Chara took the knife.

.

.

.

Were they alive?

Were they dead?

Somewhere in between?

During the quick process, Chara had to wonder if this actually WAS what Mother had planned. But considering she completely denied them basic necessities to survive, they really had nothing to back up their claims.

They blacked out for a moment, trying to recover their previous thoughts.

...

Something is flashing a bright red... What could it be?

A Soul?

No, THEIR Soul.

What was it doing out? It shouldn't be unless they-

...

So that's what happened.

They couldn't see anymore, but they could sense they were floating, feeling weightless with the quite-literally-dead weight of their body most likely on the floor. They could feel themselves being pulled away from the warm atmosphere to be placed in someplace... cold.

Perhaps it was a storage tank, similar to ones they've seen the other Souls be put into. They won't be in it for long, if they were right.

It was easier to sense the other two's emotions, particularly the other human's. Fear, concern, and a tad bit of disgust. Honestly, they couldn't care less about it, since It would have to do something even more disturbing than what It just saw.

.

.

.

Frisk was scared.

Scared and disturbed.

Their friend just... Died?

They wouldn't really say 'friend' in the actual sense, per se, but they didn't think they would ever see anyone that treated them okay die...

They looked on helplessly as the person Chara called "Mother" gathered a glowing red light and gently stashing it away in a glass jar, leaving the motionless body behind.

She muttered a few things to herself, then she paused.

Snatching up a syringe, she turned to Frisk and rushed forward. A sharp pain spiked through their right arm as a needle pierced their skin, leaving no chance for them to cry out in fear before she pulled away. Blood oozed slowly out of the wound, and Frisk could feel their energy draining with every drop that spilled.

"It will take a few minutes for the contents to replace your blood and organs, but the earlier the better. I was going to wait a few more days, but then you two-" She glared at the dead body on the floor- "had to find out about this early. Nothing is prepared, thanks to you."

She hustled about again, and Frisk was able to make out some swears.

Somehow, they felt Chara's Soul tremble at her words.

After a bit of fumbling, Mother turned to Frisk with another wide, excited smile. Looking at what her arms held, there were differently-colored glowing spheres that looked like Chara's Soul.

"So here is what's going to happen: You will play nice, and help me test out my experiment. If not- well, you're going to help me either way, but it will hurt much more if you refuse to cooperate," she said with a giggle. She untied the rope binding them, but they were too afraid to move, lest they make their death earlier.

Frisk stared at the colorful orbs in horror as a pale blue Soul was taken out of its glass casing.

"Now say 'Ahh~'"

The child opened their mouth a bit after a long moment of hesitation, then realized what a mistake they made. It was only after it began did they realize. After it was forcefully shoved into their mouth and they could only consume it whole, they realized.

It burned.

After all that pampering they went though, it was only now they realized why.

Why she went through all that trouble, why Chara was suffering so much after their arrival, why they were offered everything the run-down house could offer.

So they wouldn't run away.

Another Soul barely managed to slip down their throat. She gave soft congratulations for being able to take them in so quickly, but Frisk felt their sins crawl on their back. Despite her efforts, every Soul made Frisk's throat drier.

Why did they accept it?!

Something began stirring within them, but they weren't concerned enough to find out what it was.

I don't understand...

They couldn't ask any questions. They couldn't speak at all. The stirring made them want to vomit.

It hurts...

They couldn't sit still. There was so much turmoil, pain surging from every part of their body.

IT HURTS... They didn't deserve this!

They fell from their seat on the chair. She forced their head up to stuff another colored Soul down their burning throat, barely managing the task as the child unceremoniously threw up a metallic substance onto the floor.

Blood.

They clutched their neck as they coughed up a few heavy lumps, making them feel empty. They hoped it was the Souls, but they felt that wasn't the case.

Stop, please...

"Last one, dearie. I promise," Mother purred, turning around for what sounds to be one final Soul.

Finally, this can end.

It can be finished, over with...

A tiny smile managed to make its way onto Frisk's face, despite all that's happened.

There was still hope.

They got up from where they were, tears rolling down their face from the pain. Their arms shook, barely able to keep them up from the puddle of vomit and blood forming underneath them.

But looking up from the blood-drenched floor, Frisk could see the faint glowing of a red Soul through Mother's hands.

No...

They had managed to put away in their mind that those previous Souls were actually long-gone beings, but...

She can't be serious. Wasn't Chara her oldest -or at least, longest-lasting- adopted child?

Although, with what Frisk could recall with their dizzy brain, it seemed Chara expected this to happen, somewhat.

When they figured out that's why the teen treated them so venomously, they...

They kind of felt sorry for them.

That was the last thing Frisk could feel before they blacked out after consuming all Seven Souls.

.

.

.

* * *

((A/N: Hl Uirhp'h mznv rh urmzoob ivevzovw! Gszmp tlw!))


	4. Chapter 4

((A/N: Mentions of impalement, and describing a deep gory wound. Sorry about earlier (anonymous), I'll make sure to mention those triggers in the future! I didn't mean to cause trouble, I'll do these from now on with injuries. I don't know if I will mention gore too often, since there was quite a bit of gore in the anime, but if more people want that mentioned I will comply.

If any of you want something mentioned as a TW, please don't hesitate to tell me! I really try not to be mean about it ^w^;

Also, Happy October everyone! Ready for Halloween?))

* * *

After the events that took place several evenings ago, Mother was nowhere to be found. Frisk had been abandoned once again, left unconscious on the blood-stained basement floor among shards of broken glass and splintered chair legs.

It was only after a small, white-furred monster child poked his nose into the supposedly-abandoned shack of a house that Frisk had been first acknowledged to exist to society.

.

.

.

"So you're a human, right?"

"Mhm."

"Oh, that's pretty cool!"

Frisk found themselves awake in a bed, a white sheet draped over their body, when they woke up.

They made a new friend in their rescuer, a Boss Monster child named Asriel Dreemurr. His mother and father had so graciously brought out a spare bed for the human to be nursed back to health in, as well as an official place to stay. Frisk's bed was right next to Asriel's, and the two had chatted about their experiences and interests all through the following nights.

Despite his parents' insistence on getting enough bed rest.

"...You know, my parents are actually in charge of this place. It's an academy for those that are interested in fighting back against Kishin control- among other things."

Frisk looked at Asriel carefully as the monster child continued.

"Uhhh... let's see... Kishins -or, Afreets- are dangerous beings that want to cause madness and despair. No one is really sure how they're created or what they're made of, but someone that has consumed innocent human souls runs the risk of becoming a Kishin Egg- the stepping stone to becoming one of those terrible creatures."

Mindlessly, Frisk grasped at their new striped sweater. If they consumed innocent human souls...

"What... what would an innocent human soul look like?" they asked, their throat going dry.

"Well, if they're different colors but red, I think. Got some weird hexagon-shapes on it too. So you shouldn't have anything to worry about!"

Yeah, right. Wasn't Chara's soul red? But it didn't seem to have polygons on it, so maybe they were still in the clear.

...

"...Okay, I think I get it now," was all they had to say. It was not the right time to say the truth, not yet. Maybe when they're recovered enough to leave, they'll tell. "Thank you for the lesson, Asriel."

He smiled, then got up from his seat on the foot of the bed. "No problem! Anything else you need before I go?"

"Huh? Where are you going?"

"I'm doing my rounds again. Just making sure that no one is in trouble, if anyone needs my help, all that stuff. That's how I found you a few days ago." He picked up a heavy-looking backpack with a grunt of effort, then snatched up a clipboard from the table nearby. "I'll come back in a few hours. Until then, you can call me with this if you need anything!"

With that said, he tossed something towards Frisk, and the human had recognized it as a flip phone. As he was walking away, he suddenly stopped in the middle of the doorframe of the room.

"Although...

"I didn't think humans healed so quickly... It only took three days for you to recover this much, but I'm sure it would have taken other humans months... At least, that's what my mom said."

Silence.

"...I really don't think that matters too much, though. After all, less time in a hospital bed means more time for fun! Let's play a game of cards when I get back, 'kay?"

He paused again, then continued in a softer voice. "I don't want you sulking all day, so try to cheer up, please?"

And just like that, Asriel left Frisk to organize their thoughts.

...

What did their soul look like?

What color was it?

Will they become a Kishin Egg? What will happen to them?

The more they thought about it, the more apparent it became to them that they should keep their recent history to themselves. They knew it might cause more trouble than it was worth, but they really didn't feel like dying again.

Wait...

"Again?"

Frisk clutched at their sweater again. What warranted that?

...

"Chara? Is that you?"

 **...Yeah, it's me. I thought you'd never come looking for me, so I just stayed quiet.**

"Well anyways, I'm kinda glad you aren't dead. After all, you were basically the one to get me out of that whole mess," Frisk replied.

Deep within them, they suddenly felt some other thing...s(?) squirm in protest.

 **I guess the other souls want to be included too. All of them brought us this far as well, Frisk.**

"Oh right, the other souls... Thank you all too- Wait, how do you know my name? I thought-"

 **Well now that I'm basically your subconscious, I have access to pretty much everything you know.**

"This was going to take some getting used to..."

 **Think I'm also in that weird blood you have.**

"Weird... blood?"

They looked down at the bandages littering their body. Underneath all that gauze, they could figure out what exactly made their blood "weird-"

 **I wouldn't do that. There's a reason they're still on you; you're not freakin recovered yet. Not sure what you need to recover FROM, but it looks like you got into a fight before you passed out,** Chara mused.

"But still..."

Slowly, Frisk tugged off a piece of gauze from their left arm. It couldn't be that bad, could it?

Staring back at them was an unsightly black orifice, raw and crusty with a sickeningly black liquid along the edges and pooling in the wound. Some remnant lines of red swirled around in the still-wet liquid, clinging to a glint of white bone that peeked out underneath the torn muscles and tendons.

They stuck the bandages back on quickly.

...

How did that black stuff even get there?

Is that their blood now? Because the wound had very little red blood in it...

Chara felt the need to contribute to the conversation, though it was technically one-sided now. **I think that's what that syringe was filled with, some sort of substitute or... something. It must have tried to kill you, too, but you somehow managed to survive.**

"Lovely."

After what happened to them not even a few weeks prior, such things didn't have Frisk bat an eye. It was a curious feeling, a dull shielding of emotion. Even if they tried, they couldn't feel anything towards it. That was probably a bad thing.

 **You get used to it, really.**

"...That's right, you had something like that too, didn't you? Has it always felt like this?"

Frisk felt something shift in their veins. **Yeah, but it was only another reason why Mother wanted me dead and gone.**

...

"Let's get some sleep. We can think about this later, okay?"

 **Sure.**

* * *

((A/N: Ivhg zmw ivxlevib~))


	5. Chapter 5

.

.

.

"It's been kind of worrying, Mom. They look okay, but they keep talking to someone that isn't there."

"Maybe we just cannot see their friend, Asriel. That's always a possibility, since magic can come in all forms. Just because it is strange does not mean we should worry."

"I know, sorry Mom."

A month's time had been enough for Frisk to get fully comfortable with their new, not-so-rickety home in the Dreemurr Weapon Wielding Academy- DWWA for short. The principal, Mr. Asgore, and his wife had been able to sort out an official room for their new visitor near Asriel's so his space wouldn't be so crowded.

Through the innumerable books that were in the Library, Frisk had discovered the two classes of beings that were shared by both humans and monsters: Wielders and Weapons. Wielders could control their auras, but Weapons can use their auras to transform into an object that their Wielder partner can use.

Frisk passively wondered what Class they would fall under.

A tour of the facilities last week taught Frisk that the actual building was a lot larger on the inside, with huge classrooms, dorm rooms for anyone who wanted to stay closer to the school, right down to the vast number of steps that preceded the whole operation (once you were past the entrance doors there was a pass you could get that would get you an elevator car up there, and Frisk was given such a pass).

The inhabitants of the academy were welcoming, mostly. Many others were wary of the human, as Frisk was quickly to realize they were all far from human themselves- long teeth, fluffy, scaly, some even just sentient items, kept together by some mysterious magic.

The gelatinous ones were the most interesting ones to see around the halls, the slime sticking to people's feet as they walked through the mess.

Monsters they had managed to talk to -rather, the ones that could speak fluently- were very cheerful and would always be willing to lend a hand once they befriended them.

That's how they met Dr. Alphys, a chubby yellow lizard that was much smarter than her appearance revealed. She worked as the mechanic of the DWWA, managing all the school's technology and keeping the electricity and magic use stable. She also didn't seem to get out much, opting to stay in her huge lab-house and work on who-knows-what.

They both planned this for a while, but Alphys was always busy somehow. She finally stopped putting it off and here Frisk was, standing outside a small café near the school waiting for her. This particular one, they didn't know why, but they weren't about to complain about it. Not when this would probably be the only time she has free time for the rest of the month.

...

Eventually she shuffled up to them, clawed hands on her knees and breathing heavily, before looking up to give them an exhausted "H-Hiya, Frisk. Sorry I'm l-late..."

"It's okay, I didn't wait too long. Let's go in!"

.

.

.

Alphys never explained why she chose this particular café -they weren't judging it, since the tea and fluffy bread were well-made-, but Frisk got the feeling she'd been here for more than the food and the atmosphere.

Their waiter -or rather, waitress- came out of the kitchen carrying their entire order on a tray in one hand and demanded that the customers who ordered it raise their hands. Frisk's arm shot up immediately, as if something was telling them she would not have been happy with neglect to directions. Alphys did the same, but Frisk noticed a bit of red creeping up on her face...

"There you are Alphys! I didn't expect you to order all this!"

"W-well, I... Most of this is for Frisk here, and, and I just thought..."

"You're so nice, Alphys! God, I wish I was that nice," the waitress replied, setting down their order. Frisk noticed that her name tag -"Undyne," apparently- had both her name and pronouns; convenient.

"N-no, you're... You're really nice, Undyne! I'm... You're just... m-more direct! That's all! P-people like honesty, you know!" Alphys flustered, glasses fogging up a bit as she covered her face with her hands after she said something that cute.

A few more minutes of compliments danced around the table -with Frisk tossing some words in to compliment the both of them, naturally-, and Alphys and Frisk were left to their own devices. Apparently, Alphys and Undyne had been a thing for years, but neither had enough courage to ask the other out.

Frisk wouldn't push it unless it stayed at a standstill, but they smiled at the idea of the two monsters getting together.

.

.

.

After being the third wheel at the restaurant with no regrets, Frisk was just in time for Asriel to return from his routinely checkup on the city streets. Nothing was reported to be too suspicious -luckily-, and the two were able to discuss recent events and rumors.

"So, I passed by that shack above the basement where I found you, Frisk."

"...Mhm," the human-in-question hummed, suddenly more interested in their drawing than the conversation.

Asriel huffed loudly, bringing Frisk's attention back.

"Well, although I said there was nothing suspicious in town, there's been no trace of that strong Witch magic around anymore."

"There was a Witch here? A-Aren't those super dangerous?" Frisk fretted nervously. Somewhere in their subconscious a gruff voice chucked darkly, a light headache dazing them a little. Something else stirred in them, but they couldn't figure out where; probably wasn't anything important.

"Yeah, they're super hard to fight against, and even harder to kill. I imagine human Souls have an easier time defeating them, with their giant stores of magical energy, but frankly none of them survive long enough to even get close enough to do that with their fragile bodies.

"At least if a monster loses a leg or something, they won't feel as much pain as a human would, but that's pretty much all we have- one good hit and we're good as dust." Asriel leaned back in his desk chair on his bedside, the two front legs sticking out uselessly.

"But yeah, I haven't felt a trace of the Witch magic since I found you down there. I'm not pinning you as a suspect or anything, since you hardly look strong enough to fend off a Witch- no offense," he continued, sheepishly raising his paws in defense. Frisk looked none too annoyed and he relaxed.

A calming silence filled the room as they both toyed with theories in their minds. Suddenly, Frisk spoke up.

"Would you know the answer, Chara?"

Asriel, needless to say, was very confused. "...H-huh? Who's that?"

Thoroughly distracted by trying to summon up Chara, Frisk kept calling out. Eventually they were connected.

 **I... You realize you can just think to speak to me, right? Learn to remember that before we get sent to an asylum or something for schizophrenia.**

 _O-oh... sorry... I didn't know I could do that,_ Frisk looked down.

Frisk could feel a sigh sending a chill down their spine. **Look, pay attention to that Asriel kid there. He's worried for you, you freak.**

All Asriel could see was his friend acting up again. He waved his paws in front of Frisk's face, desperate for a response to snap them out of it. He sighed of relief when Frisk looked up, albeit with a... spark of realization in their eyes?

Whatever, it probably wasn't too important. But he was curious...

"So, what's up with that whole thing? Is that... 'Chara', an imaginary friend? Are they invisible? I wanna know so I don't get mixed up or anything," Asriel asked, rubbing the back of his neck. He got off his seat on the chair as it stayed leaning on the bedside.

"Y-yea, it's a friend of mine. Not really imaginary, because they really ARE alive. Kinda. It's..." they paused, looking around the room as if it would offer an explanation they could use. "It's kind of a long story..."

Asriel stayed quiet for a moment, then spoke up a way Frisk didn't expect.

"Well, whenever you're comfortable with telling me. If you're not ready, don't push it, since I'm sure it's still pretty crazy- especially if it had to do with how I found you in the basement of that... house?"

Frisk looked at their concerned friend and smiled, speaking quietly and with more sobriety than a child should ever be able to muster.

"Thank you."

* * *

((A/N: Gsv horxv lu oruv gilkv rh hgilmt rm gsrh lmv.))


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